Should I shave my head?

[HalebiHabibti]

I am mentally in a bit of an odd place. I don't know it's burnout, or a reasonable response to work and life stresses, or oncoming perimenopause, but I veer between utterly flat and actually pretty chipper at least 3 times a day

Anyway. I have thick, awkward hair and dealing with it feels like just another thing to have to cope with. The impulse to shave it all off is very strong.

Will I regret this? Have you done it? How did people respond? How would you respond to a colleague who turned up with a shaved head all of a sudden and no medical reason for it, esp if she had been up and down recently?

Answers will be greatly appreciated. Thanks vipers

I shaved mine many years ago. I instantly discovered that I have a weird shaped head. Looks like a plate at the back.

There's always wigs if you need them though. I say go for it!

Obviously hair grows back - but if you’re not feeling mentally quite yourself at the moment, I would avoid taking any impulsive step that might provoke a strong negative reaction in you if you decide you’ve made a mistake.

Ignore the urge to shave it all off - take yourself to a hairdresser and have it cut into something short and manageable.

(I love the look of shaved heads on women, usually. But it’s no good at all unless you’re entirely confident about it.)

You sound like me. Going through peri with horrendous mental health. One day, I shaved the lot off as it was getting on my tits.
Felt amazing but regretted it as I looked weird. If it suited me, I would have kept it shaved.

I had a pixie cut for years and I loved how easy it made everything.

Weather wise, it's not the best time to have a shaved head though.

I have a friend who has a great shape skull, she is partially shaved, about half, looks great. I'd look like a potato with a weird mole. Pity as I too would love to lose my hair! Instead I go for the next easiest option of long enough to tie back and forget about. 😁

I say no don't do it
As soon as I feel burn out or mentally not 100% my go to thought is "I want to shave my head".

I know I'd regret it as soon as I did it though. It won't cure how you feel.
Try and work on the issues causing burnout

I keep mine shaved and love it but agree that it's probably not a brilliant idea when you are struggling with mental health at the moment just in case you really regret it.

I would second the suggestion to visit a good hairdresser and put yourself in their hands and see what they can do 💕

If you're feeling a bit wonky, I'd avoid doing it because if it doesn't suit you it'll be one more thing that might put extra stress on you when you catch sight of yourself in the mirror or in photos. It might suit you wonderfully, but maybe that's a thing to find out when you're feeling more stable and able to cope with whichever way it goes. Good luck.

Maybe compromise with an undercut? Takes out half the drying time x

I had a side shave before. It was liberating. Growing it back was a bitch.

It's a major decision. If you're not feeling yourself I would avoid doing it.

It reads as a bit of a Britney-style cry for help.

Can you just go very short to see if that solves your hair being an issue? I would hate to think you did it in a moment of stress then really regretted it and felt worse.

Thanks all - maybe I should try to resist the urge a bit longer!

It's hat weather for the next 6 month...

Being someone who has learned a heck of a lot about the female body having just had a baby, I feel very much like there's so many things that don't get spoken about women's health-wise.

And so, is there something head/hair related when it comes to menopause that's making some of you here shave your head off?

I have had mine cut pretty short, rather than shaving it all off, and it is a revelation. I too had long, thick hair (also going v grey) and it drove me mad. I started with an undercut/side shave, as PPs suggest, which I really liked but the long bits were still annoying and I wore it up more than down for convenience. Then had it all cut off a couple of years ago and haven't looked back. It's just great, easy to style. It does need a cut every 6-8 weeks to keep it looking good.

I'd echo others that if you're feeling fragile at the moment, a full shave might make you feel worse, so treating yourself to a restyle might be a better option. Let us know how you get on.

Rather than going full tilt and shaving it off, why not just go to the hairdresser and get a short, easy to manage pixie cut?

You could always go for a crew cut to get a sense of the shape of your head if you'd prefer it bald. But a neatly cut crew could be the answer in itself. Total wash and go.

Honestly, I wouldn’t. I had to shave mine a few years back (cancer, chemo) and found the “poor cow” looks hard to deal with even on a good day. If you are not in a great headspace you are just putting yourself out there for strangers to comment which is probably not what you need.

How about going for a buzzcut rather than to-the-scalp shaving. All of the same sense of bold and playful liberation but still within the realms of 'normal thing to do' so that colleagues etc can't give you much grief about it.

Beware of doing it yourself at home though. You won't get it even and before you know where you are, your attempts to correct it will have taken you own to the scalp

I have thick curly hair - a pixie cut would look ludicrous, I assure you 😂

I feel your pain 🤣🤣 I keep mine at a grade 2 now and after a couple of weeks the curl starts to make an appearance 🤣🤣

How about a drastic undercut? I have one side of my head shaved very short but to my shoulder on the other.

I'd second the recommendations to hang on and possibly have it cut short and manageable. Shaving it is a pretty drastic step and takes a lot of time to undo.

You may find it briefly cathartic, but are probably likely to regret it.

I would be a little concerned about you if I'm being honest, and I'd noticed you being up and down.

Can you go to the hairdresser and ask for a really low maintenance cut?